Pakistani Carpets: A Buying Guide to Handmade Rugs

Pakistani carpets are hand-knotted wool rugs, best known in the red Bokhara pattern with rows of octagonal guls, in the curving floral Pak Persian designs, and in the Afghan styles woven by refugee families. When buying one, the three things that matter are whether it is truly hand-knotted, how dense the knotting is, and whether the wool and dyes are good. Lahore is the centre of the trade and Islamabad is the easiest place for a visitor to compare shops.

This guide explains the main designs, how to read a knot count, how to check a rug in the shop, and how to arrive at a fair price when nobody publishes one.

What makes Pakistani carpets different?

Carpet weaving took root in this part of the subcontinent under the Mughals in the early 1500s, when local craftsmen adopted Persian techniques and designs; Lahore's carpets of that period carried Mughal architectural motifs. Hand-knotting is still described as Pakistan's second-largest cottage industry, though it has shrunk.

What sets Pakistani rugs apart today is a reputation for reproducing classic Persian and Turkmen designs to a high standard, in good wool, at lower prices than Iran. Reporting by Dawn's Herald magazine describes Lahore as the export hub and Faisalabad as a major weaving centre, with wool from Ghazni in Afghanistan alongside imported Australian and Belgian wool, and with most of the output going abroad.

The trade is under pressure. The Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association has repeatedly warned of falling exports, high costs and taxes, and delays at Torkham on materials from Afghanistan. Machine-made rugs, including cheap imports from Iran, have taken much of the home market. For a buyer, that means many shops now sell both kinds side by side, and you need to know the difference.

Which designs will you be shown?

Bokhara

The design most people picture: rows of octagonal guls, often called the elephant's foot, on a red ground, though you will also see green, gold, ivory and blue. It is a Turkmen pattern, tied with the symmetric Turkish knot, and it has been a steady best-seller from Lahore for decades.

Jaldar

A close relation of the Bokhara, with diamond-shaped guls repeated across the field in a lattice. It looks crisper and more geometric.

Pak Persian

Curving floral designs copied from Persian city carpets, with a central medallion or an all-over pattern of vines and flowers. These are tied with the asymmetric Persian knot, which allows finer curves, and the best are very densely knotted.

Chobi

Softer, faded-looking rugs in handspun wool and natural dyes, often in beige, rust and pale green, with large floral patterns. They suit modern rooms, and are sometimes sold under the trade name Ziegler.

Afghan and Baluchi rugs

Afghan weavers who settled in Pakistan brought their own styles: deep red Turkmen rugs, Baluchi prayer rugs in dark reds and blues, and in recent decades Afghan versions of Chobi. Afghan knotters are widely regarded in the trade as the most skilled, and for decades Peshawar and Quetta were the main markets for their work.

How do you read a knot count?

Pakistani dealers usually describe quality with two numbers, such as 9/18 or 16/18. They are knots per inch across the rug and down it. Multiply them for knots per square inch: a 16/18 rug has about 288 knots per square inch, which is the common standard for a good Pak Persian.

As a rough guide:

• Baluchi and tribal rugs are coarser, often around 100 knots per square inch.
• Bokhara and Jaldar usually fall between about 100 and 200.
• Pak Persian in a good workshop runs from about 150 to 300, and the finest go higher.

More knots means a sharper pattern and a longer weaving time, so it drives the price. It does not by itself make a better rug. A coarse tribal rug in good wool and natural dyes can be worth more, and last longer, than a fine rug in poor wool. Ask the dealer for the quality, then turn the rug over and count a square inch yourself against a ruler. If the figure is far off, walk on.

How can you tell a hand-knotted carpet?

These checks take two minutes and are the most useful thing in this guide.

1. Turn it over. On a hand-knotted rug the pattern shows clearly on the back, with tiny knots that are very slightly uneven. A machine-made rug has a perfectly regular grid. A tufted rug has a cloth or latex backing glued over the back, which is the giveaway.
2. Look at the fringe. On a hand-knotted rug the fringe is the ends of the warp threads running through the whole carpet. If it is sewn or glued on, the rug is not hand-knotted.
3. Fold the pile back. Bend the rug along a row: you should see the knots at the base of the pile, row by row.
4. Check that it lies flat and square. Slight irregularity is normal in handwork. A rug that ripples badly or is visibly out of square will never settle.
5. Rub a damp white cloth on the colours. Dye that comes off on the cloth will run when the rug is washed.
6. Ask what the "silk" is. Rugs sold as silk are often viscose, also called art silk, which is shiny, cheaper and wears badly. Real silk is expensive. If a "silk" rug is cheap, it isn't silk.

Where should you buy carpets in Pakistan?

Lahore

Lahore is where most export carpets are finished, washed and sold, and the city has a long-established carpet trade with its own dealers, washing and finishing yards, dye houses and design studios. The Kashmiri Bazaar in the Walled City sells shawls and rugs, and dealers' showrooms in the newer parts of the city sell export-quality pieces. Shops near the big hotels often price for foreign visitors. Our guide to the best shopping places in Lahore covers the main markets.

Islamabad and Rawalpindi

For a visitor, Islamabad is the easiest place to compare. Super Market in F-6 has long had carpet and handicraft shops aimed partly at diplomats and foreign residents, and the city's craft shops carry rugs from all over the country. Our guide to markets in Islamabad has the details.

Peshawar and Quetta

Peshawar was for decades Pakistan's main market for Afghan carpets, and Quetta's bazaars are known for rugs too. Both are far smaller trades than they were, because many Afghan families have left Pakistan since the government's repatriation drive began in 2023. The UK government also advises against all travel to Peshawar and to all of Balochistan. Pakistani travellers who still go should check local news and police advice first; see our Peshawar shopping guide for the old bazaars.

What is a fair price for a Pakistani carpet?

We can't give you a reliable current price table, because there isn't one. Prices depend on size, knot count, wool, dyes and age, and dealers set them shop by shop. What you can do is make the comparison fair.

• Ask for a price per square foot for a given quality. Most dealers can quote one, and it lets you compare a 4 by 6 with a 6 by 9.
• Compare the same quality across three or four shops before you commit.
• Expect to bargain in bazaars and private showrooms, and expect tea and a lot of rugs unrolled. You are under no obligation to buy.
• Get it in writing. The receipt should say hand-knotted, the size, the quality (for example 16/18), wool or silk, and the price, including any shipping.
• Be wary of an "antique" at a bargain price. Old rugs are often artificially aged, and anything genuinely old raises export questions.

Can you ship a carpet home?

Yes. Many dealers in Lahore and Islamabad will pack and ship, or you can fold a small rug into a suitcase. A room-size carpet is heavy and should be rolled, not folded, with the pile on the inside, and wrapped in plastic. If a dealer is shipping it for you, get the shipping cost, the carrier and the expected delivery time on the receipt, and pay the balance on delivery if they agree. Inside Pakistan, courier companies take rolled rugs between cities.

Is buying a carpet in Pakistan worth it?

If you want a rug for life, yes. A good hand-knotted Pakistani carpet is a lot of skilled work for the money, and buying direct means more of that money reaches the trade. It suits people who have a room in mind, know the size they need, and have a couple of hours to look.

It doesn't suit a rushed buyer. If you have one afternoon, no measurements and no plan, buy a small rug, a prayer mat or a kilim, or something lighter from our guide to souvenirs from Pakistan. For other ways to spend time in the cities, see our experiences page.

Frequently asked questions